Jefferson's Garden at Monticello {Inspiration}

Who is your favorite president?

Mine is Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's life was guided by science, reason, and curiosity. He loved gardens, arguably advancing America's agriculture more than any other national leader.

"I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural."

This past August we were lucky enough to spend time in Jefferson's gardens at Monticello. We soaked in his forward-thinking rain catchment, wild experimentation and clear appreciation of nature. Touring his home, we found constant reminders of his practicality and commitment to lifelong learning.

"I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue, and advancing the happiness of man."

As I look out on a constantly snow-covered garden this winter, I'm buoyed by the thought of seeds I purchased at Monticello. Jefferson once wrote to his wife "You will be out in time to begin your garden, and that will tempt you to be out a great deal, than which nothing will tend more to give you health and strength." May we all be out in the garden, healing and strengthening ourselves, soon.

Jefferson's Garden at Monticello {Inspiration}

Who is your favorite president?

Mine is Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's life was guided by science, reason, and curiosity. He loved gardens, arguably advancing America's agriculture more than any other national leader.

"I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural."

This past August we were lucky enough to spend time in Jefferson's gardens at Monticello. We soaked in his forward-thinking rain catchment, wild experimentation and clear appreciation of nature. Touring his home, we found constant reminders of his practicality and commitment to lifelong learning.

"I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue, and advancing the happiness of man."

As I look out on a constantly snow-covered garden this winter, I'm buoyed by the thought of seeds I purchased at Monticello. Jefferson once wrote to his wife "You will be out in time to begin your garden, and that will tempt you to be out a great deal, than which nothing will tend more to give you health and strength." May we all be out in the garden, healing and strengthening ourselves, soon.

Winter Solstice 2013 {Seasonal Snaps}

On the first day of winter 2013, central Ohio was subject to flood watches. Our property developed two temporary ponds and two whole acres of mud as several inches of rain melted four inches of snow. One of the ponded areas is where we plowed about a quarter acre of lawn for planting next year. The plan is to till it and fill in low spots with additional soil when the land dries but does not freeze. We may be waiting until spring for that chore.

But the sun shone and heated the air to nearly 60 degrees during the afternoon. The sky was BLUE and the air felt like April. I was happily barefoot most of the day with windows open to air out the house. Thanks to the thawed earth, I was able to pull five pounds of sweet, anise-y parsnips to serve for Christmas Eve dinner. What a precious reprieve from the typical winter ick!

Alas, because of the long very cold spell in early December, the hoop house is nearly empty. A few plantings of greens are hanging on but not growing much. There are peas in the center I hoped to harvest; even though they aren't producing food, I'm leaving them as a green mulch.

I started the Seasonal Snaps project one year ago for Winter Solstice 2012. Our homestead isn't nearly grown to where I envision it but you can see some of the major changes. Our small orchard is planted, we have a hoop house for growing, the mudroom is built and insulated, and we're working on a bigger better vegetable plot.

Rain, snow, and sunshine all contribute to the food forest we tend. We are again thankful for the turning of the seasons that hearkens us to look back at where we've come and set our intentions for the future.

Announcing City Folk's Ground Swell!

I'm excited to spread the news about a project that's been simmering for more than six months. Shawn of City Folk's Farm Shop* approached me in the early spring about an idea to create a 'school' of sorts for homesteading. We worked on the concept, recruited a few other experienced homesteaders, and came up with City Folk's Ground Swell. Ground Swell will be a nine-month long project to inspire and educate a small group of mentees running February - November 2014. Our goal is to expand the homesteading community and recognition for efforts towards sustainable living in central Ohio.

Mentees will take classes at the shop (also open to the public), participate in group discussions, and work on special projects with the mentor families. In exchange, they will receive guidance from mentors, discounts at City Folk's, and the opportunity to re-skill themselves in keeping house, growing and preserving food, and weaving a sustainable community.

Our family is part of the mentor team alongside Joseph and Jen of Swainway Urban Farm, permaculturists Milo and Elizabeth, and Blue Rock Station's Annie and Jay. We're participating because we want a bigger community of serious gardeners, pantry-fillers, and eco-friendly folks to share and learn with.

We're looking for mentees who want to be part of the inaugural class of City Folk's Ground Swell. I know Harmonious Homestead readers are people who have what it takes to challenge themselves with the support of the mentor team - learn more and apply to be a mentee! Applications are due by January 30.

*Full disclosure: I help Shawn with social media, communications, and occasionally work in the shop as a paid consultant.

Your Input Needed On New Food Rules

Now that the government is running again (Yay!) federal institutions are again working on agriculture bills and rules. Big business and organizations have lobbyists who are doing their best to influence these groups to make it easier for big ag to receive big subsidies, allow the use of bee-killing chemicals, and continue socially dangerous animal-rearing practices. Those of us who believe in a slower, more local, organic way of growing don't have the benefit of a huge lobbying force. Instead, we must overwhelm politicians with our personal stories and visions for a healthier food production system.

Two Important Decisions Need Your Comments

First, Congress is drafting a new Farm Bill. For the betterment of the farming profession, the environment, and the health of all Americans, I envision a Farm Bill that reduces agricultural subsidies for monoculture mega-farms, increases opportunities for small, diverse farms, and continues the National Organic Cost-Share Program which assists organic growers with certification fees. I communicated these priorities to my senators and representatives. Please do the same by finding your Congress people and writing or calling them - it's quick and easy. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) provides direction for contacting your elected officials and more information about the Farm Bill.

Next, the Food and Drug Administration is collecting comments on a new Food Safety Modernization Act. The entire act is long and complicated, overly so in my opinion. The Produce Safety and Preventative Controls rules, in particular, need adjustment to make them equitable for small family farms. I focused my comments around how the proposed rule burdens small farmers in the amount and specificity of water quality testing (daily at exceedingly low PPM in some cases), makes the use of compost nearly impossible through the rule that it can only be applied outside of nine months before planting, and applies an unnecessary high-risk designation to processed food like pickles, breads, and syrups.

The deadline for submitting comments regarding the Food Safety Modernization Act is tomorrow, November 15. OEFFA again has detailed information available for those who want to reply in detail. If you don't have the time to reply on a line-by-line basis, your comments advocating for small, diverse farms are still valuable. Submit your comments directly to the FDA.

I would much rather be growing and cooking local food than advocating politically, but sometimes we need to speak out. I encourage you to take a few moments to study these proposed regulations and bring your voice to the table. Small, sustainable growers like myself thank you.

Turn Here Sweet Corn {Book Hounds}

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association announced their keynote speakers for the annual conference recently. I read the biographies and requested Atina Diffley's book Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works from the library. Diffley writes her memoir of growing into a farmer and becoming an accidental activist with the gifts of a fine story teller. Throughout her dramatic tale of finding and losing a farm and then fighting to save another, she shares personal moments of grief, joy, and insatiable desire to grow food organically. She portrays farming realistically, describing the challenges of physical labor and difficult weather while constantly reminding the reader of the same appreciation for nature I feel when working in the garden. "Every time I am in the field or the garden, there is one plant or insect, one leaf or flower, one line or shape that jumps from the rest and catches my senses with the profound beauty of its lovely self," she writes.

Diffley weaves many useful farming tips from her Gardens of Eagen farm into her writing. She advocates that "weeds are not our enemies but our allies, nature's system to protect, repair, and purify the soil," and then goes on to describe how to build organic soil from conventional fields. She tells how her successful organic farm plants in succession, weeds, and markets their wares in enough detail to be useful to current and would-be organic farmers, but in a story-telling fashion that would not bore a non-farmer.

Beyond being an interesting story, Turn Here Sweet Corn is inspirational to me as a maybe farmer. Diffley describes a life that is physically and mentally challenging but incredible rewarding. She advocates for the utmost of integrity, writing "our name is on it, and quality is crucial, but it's not just that. We enter people's lives in the most sacred way possible. Our hands touch every vegetable that leaves this land. This food enters the eaters' lives through their mouths and nourishes their bodies. I need to be sure that every piece of food that leaves here is good." Watch the book trailer below to hear more about Turn Here Sweet Corn in Atina's own words.

Registration for the 2014 OEFFA conference will open in about a month. Alex and I will present a workshop on pressure canning (more details to come) and I can't wait to be in the audience for Atina Diffley's keynote.

Notes & VOTE

Day four of NaBloPoMo and I'm already succumbing to a list post? I have a host of random things I want to share:

• Order your turkeys - Local grocers are taking pre-orders for turkeys. I like Bowman and Landes for an affordable turkey that still supports a local farm. If you have the ability to indulge, go for a Bourbon Red through Hills Market - we had one last year and all guests agreed it was the very best turkey they'd ever tasted!
• Check out the Situating Food forum on planning new urban food systems at OSU this Friday and Saturday.There's no cost; pre-registration is required.
• I just heard about the Save Seeds Now symposium happening in Oxford Ohio next month. Registration is free but limited to the first 75 participants.
• Jan Brett, one of our favorite children's book authors, will be at the Ohio National Poultry show this Saturday, November 9, at 10 am. She's promoting her new book Cinders, a Chicken Cinderella. Read our recap of Ohio National Poultry 2012.
• Tomorrow is election day. Please do your research, take your children, and vote. Today, I shared why I'm voting no on issues 50 & 51 (Columbus school levy) on the It's Ok To Vote No website.

Am I A Farmer?

I grow food on my land. I share this food with people well beyond my family. I work in the soil ten hours a week with Swainway Urban Farm and sell our mushrooms and microgreens at farmers' markets. My hands are dirty all the time. All these are good signs that I might be a farmer. But yet I resist this label and I want to unpack why.

For a long time, my excuse was that a farmer sells their food, and I didn't, so I couldn't be a farmer. But now, I do grow and sell food for Swainway and I've given my family and friends in excess of $500 worth of food this season.

Farming, if I'm a farmer, is certainly not my primary occupation - I write, teach cooking classes, mother, and volunteer. That's why I've been drawn to the word homesteader. I could also be a 'hobby farmer' but that seems to devalue the work of farming. Yes, I might not grow food and raise chickens for profit, but an hour of bed building is the same whether the eventual tomatoes go to market or are consumed at home.

The biggest resistance in my mind is that I don't think of farmers and farming organizations as representing the food growing system I want to see. Farmers are people who drive tractors and own many acres and raise meat in feedlots and file for government subsidies and use chemical fertilizers and plant gmo seeds. I spend enormous effort and money to feed those I love with food that doesn't come from the typical American farm. If I call myself a farmer, I'm afraid that people will think I'm one of the conventional types.

Beyond the fact that I oppose the growing  practices of the vast majority of American farmers, I feel like I don't fit in with the traditional farming lifestyle. I live in the city. I hold liberal values. I have a bachelor's degree in geological science and constantly pursue additional education through reading, conferences, and classes. I don't think anyone would describe me as a bumpkin or yokel, the third definition of farmer as provided by Merriam-Webster.

It makes me a little sad that when I think of a farmer, I think of something I don't want to be. No matter advances in technology, people will always need to eat. The number of people who farm as an occupation has declined steadily  in the last few decades but our population needs real food. Somehow, smart, hard-working, earth-minded growers (like me?) must reclaim farming as an honorable avocation.

What say you: am I a farmer?